Senate to tackle postponement of BARMM elections

Even as the Senate is geared to deliberate on the proposed 2025 national budget upon the resumption of session today, Senate President Francis Escudero said senators would still work on some bills, particularly on the postponement of the Bangsamoro elections.

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Fish or bangus, P180 per kilo, Pamalakaya vice chairperson Ronnel Arambulo noted.

"The spike was not due to typhoons and the fisherfolk, but the traders who took advantage of the calamity to manipulate the retail prices of fish," Arambulo said.

The farmgate price of fish remains low despite the retail cost increase in markets, he added.

Tilapia's farmgate price only ranged between P50 and

Escudero said senators initially agreed to focus on the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget, but decided to make some exceptions due to the recent decision of the Supreme Court excluding Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

"According to our rules, unless the plenary allows it, we are not allowed to conduct committee hearings during a plenary session. I think we will exempt one or two (bills) because we have to work on the Bangsamoro election postponement. Maybe we can do it," Escudero said in Filipino yesterday in an interview over dzBB.

In September, the SC upheld the constitutionality of Republic Act 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which created the BARMM. However, it ruled that Sulu is not part of BARMM due to the province’s rejection of the law’s ratification. This decision is immediately executory, partially granting Sulu’s petition against its inclusion.

The law, enacted in 2018, required ratification by plebiscite, with the majority of the former ARMM areas voting in favor. While most areas ratified the law in January and February 2019 plebiscites, Sulu voted against it.